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This Veteran Amputee Softball Team is Touring the US to Make a Point

This Veteran Amputee Softball Team is Touring the US to Make a Point

Despite losing his legs in Afghanistan, Marine Lance Corporal Josh Wege finds a unique way to give back to his country. The Wounded Warriors softball team in touring America to show people that a disability is not the end of life’s fight.

In 2009 Marine Lance Corporal Josh Wege’s who life changed. He was 19 years old and serving in the US Marines in Afghanistan. One day, while driving an armored vehicle, he ran over a 200-pound bomb built by unofficial forces (also known as an IED).

The explosion knocked Wege into a state of unconsciousness. When he woke up, he realized he lost feeling in his legs. “Some of the weirdest things were going through my head,” Wege said.“Like I had just bought a stick-shift car and I thought, ‘How am I going to drive without my feet?’” The young Marine ended up having to amputate both his legs below the knee. wound up having both his legs amputated below the knee. However, the accident didn’t keep him down.

Wege joined the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. Josh Wege and his teammates play the sport despite their injuries. Aside from being their own inspirations, they make a point to inspire others as well. The Wounded Warriors tour America, and playing softball against non-disabled teams. They do this to remind people that a disability is not the end of a person’s fight in life.

“As an amputee, you have to set goals every week,” Wege said. “You had to find new things to do. I always wanted to push myself.”

Wege was able to overcome his injuries and recover quickly by becoming competitive with himself. If he accomplished something one day, he strived to accomplish more the next. As a young boy, Wege was an enthusiastic and accomplished athlete back home in Campbellsport, Wisconsin. There he served as the star player and captain of his high school baseball team. Now he’s a member of Wounded Warriors and is giving continuing to give back to his community as well as his country. The softball team does more than tour the US to raise money for research.

The Wounded Warriors also run a softball camp for 8-12-year-old amputees. They teach them skills and model exemplary leadership. “It’s a hurdle to jump over,” Wege said regarding his challenges. “These prosthetics do hinder you. But we still play good softball. Everybody has a different way to adapt.” Metadata: Despite losing his legs in Afghanistan, Marine Lance Corporal Josh Wege finds a unique way to give back to his country. The Wounded Warriors softball team in touring America to show people that a disability is not the end of life’s fight.